Chicken ramp/ladder questions

[DianeS]

I have questions about building a ramp that chickens will use to access their off-the-ground coop. (My chickens will be larger dual-purpose ones, if that matters. I don't have them yet, )

What is a good angle for the ramp? Is 45 degrees acceptable? Does it need to be lower? Could it be steeper?
How long can a ramp between a raised coop and the ground be? Is there a length the chickens will decide isn't worth the bother?
How wide should the ramp be?
What about the "rungs"? The floor of the ramp will be solid, do the rungs need to be a certain size, or certain distance apart?

Anything else I should know about the ramp part of the coop?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AtholCoop]

Quote:
The lower the angle the better, but I'll bet money you find they don't really use it all that much either way. They'll likely fly up and down more often than not if they're anything like my birds.

 

[myway57]

my RIR's just kinda jump up and go.... I took the steps out along time ago. they never use them.

 

[chuckzoo]

My two BR use their ramp, it's about at a 35-40 degree angle, 10 inches wide and the rungs are 1x2s placed about every 6 inches on center. I attached it to their coop using hinges underneath, this way I can lift it up while cleaning the coop but it is still very stable.

Hope this helps.

Jenny

 

[scooter147]

My pop door is about 30 inches off the ground and my ramp is at about 45 degrees. My hens usually go to the side of it and jump up to the top cleat closest to the pop door. When they come out they usually get about half way down and they just jump.

 

[RonB]

DianeS
I went out and measured just for you

My pop door is 43 " off the ground, 6" under that I have a piece of 3/4" plywood ( I call the deck or porch) it is 16" x28" that gives them a place to stand before going down the ramp. My ramp is a 6ft long 2x8 going from that to the ground. the rungs are 6"L x 3/4"W they are spaced 2" apart.
when My flock was young they would walk all the way up and all the way down the ramp. But now they will either fly up and down. or just use the ramp half way. just like the others on here have said.
Hope that helps

 

[DianeS]

Thank you! This is good info. I'll make the ramp a little longer so it's less than 45 degrees. My coop will be probably 3 feet off the ground and the chickens will have clipped wings (due to the low fence around the free range area), so they'll almost have to use it. So I'll make it easier than I was planning. Thanks!

 

[grayhenfarm]

For my ramp i use a soild piece of plywood with 1/2 round attached every 8 inches = or - . I paint all my wood really well so it is easy to clean, but this also makes it slippery. Safety first ~ I put grip tape on my ramps so they do not slip.

 

[DianeS]

Has anyone painted part of their coop (like the ramp) with the paint that has little bits of sand or rubber in it? Like the paint they sell for garage floors. It's good paint, so it keep moisture out and keeps stuff from soaking into the wood just like regular paint. You can't shovel things off it very well because it has the texture, but it doesn't let things stick so a quick scrub with water would get anything off that shouldn't belong. And yet still offer good traction to the chickens.

It's looking like I'll need a 4 or 5 foot ramp for the coop I'm envisioning, and I want it to be slip-free. Thoughts on that type of paint?

 

[RonB]

my ramp is under cover so it doesn't get wet. But I think you should be ok if your rungs are close enough together